Conclusion
As the timeline demonstrates, WA’s approach to drought policy has been an evolutionary process to find the most effective and appropriate measures for WA’s economic, social and natural environment of the time.
As you would expect, people’s opinions vary when it comes to the efficiency of government drought assistance measures. Yet the reality is there will always be a difference of opinion when it comes to balancing the welfare of farm families with the responsibility of farm businesses.
With this in mind, the Western Australian Government will continue to make evidence based policy decisions that are aligned to the principles of the Intergovernmental Agreement on National Drought Program Reform. These decisions aim to focus on improving farm businesses’ drought preparedness by providing more options for business training, enhanced risk management tools and better social support for farm families in hardship.
With climate variability set to increase, all drought policy decisions will need to take into account the outcomes of the past, as well as the outlook for the future if they are to truly support a resilient, sustainable and profitable agricultural sector.